Humankind is a fan of creating boundaries, we like to think of things in terms of here or over there, ours or theirs, but nature knows no boundaries. The work we do to prevent the spread of an invasive forest pest or aquatic plant expands beyond our regional counties and other manmade borders, these efforts impact large-scale connected land and water scapes.

Garlic mustard is one of the most common invasive plants found in backyards, along roadsides and within our natural areas and forests. There is a new perspective regarding the control of this common invader and it isn’t what you may think.

The St. Lawrence Seaway is a high risk area for the introduction of Ambrosia beetles. These invasive beetles can attack freshly cut lumber and lumber in decks before it is dried, and they cause pinhole defects and dark staining in the outer wood. Galleries formed in the sapwood or heartwood also cause damage. SLELO is monitoring traps in the region to aid an early detection effort lead by the NYSDEC.

85 Riparian Acres have been prioritized for restoration on the Black River Trail.

As a landowner, it is important to preserve native biodiversity and protect your assets from the negative impacts of invasive species. Common reed or Phragmites australis, is one of the most common invasive plants in the SLELO region. Landowners who have this plant on their property can help control the spread of this plant through a variety of feasible control techniques.

The main benefit of using biocontrol is that they conduct the management for you, keeping invasive species populations in check and reducing the need for human intervention.

Over the summer Brittney and Robert (our Early Detection Team), and partners with Parks, conducted a survey to determine the feasibility of invasive species removal/control and restoration work.

The SLELO region is part of an exciting pilot study that is investigating combining short-term systemic insecticides and long-term biological control to help preserve ash resources in black and green ash forests.

Spotted lanternfly feeds on nearly 70 different plant species including apple and grapes. Being that New York is the second largest apple producer and third largest grape producer in the US the state stands to loose $358.4 million in annual crop yields.

The first phase of this initiative, “Aquatic and Riparian Invasive Species Inventory and Habitat Assessment,” focused on three select tributaries in Eastern Lake Ontario—Sandy Creek, South Sandy Creek and Deer […]